Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune's Italian Open final clash sees special guest Jose Mourinho in attendance
Former football player and current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma, Jose Mourinho, was in attendance for the clash between Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune in the Italian Open final on Sunday, May 21.
Medvedev notched his first-ever clay-court trophy and his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title after defeating Rune 7-5, 7-5 in the final in Rome. The Russian successfully fended off three break points, while capitalizing on four of his six break point opportunities to down the World No. 7.
The 27-year-old has emerged as the tour leader in titles, having won five titles during the season so far. With his win, the Russian also rose to World No. 2 in the rankings and will thus be the second seed at the upcoming French Open.
Renowned football manager, dubbed as "The Special One" by the media, Jose Mourinho was spotted watching the thrilling final clash between Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune on Centre Court.
The special ☝️
@OfficialASRoma | #IBI23 https://t.co/nDzzthvnxl
With his victory, Medvedev has extended his lead in the race to the ATP Finals. With 4,300 points to his name this season, the World No. 2 leads Carlos Alcaraz (3,445) by 845 points and third-ranked Novak Djokovic (2,745) by 1,555 points.
Meanwhile, Holger Rune currently occupies the seventh spot on the list with 2,125 points to his name.
How Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune fared at French Open 2022
With the 2023 French Open looming on the horizon, let's take a brief look at Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune's campaigns at the clay-court Major last year.
Medvedev scored a dominant 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win over Facundo Bagnis in his tournament opener in Paris. He followed his performance with a similarly commanding victory over Laslo Djere, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
The World No. 2 then defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the fourth round for the second time in his career. However, he was unable to equal or better his quarter-final finish from 2021, losing to Marin Cilic in straight sets.
Meanwhile, Holger Rune enjoyed a successful outing at the 2022 French Open in his debut appearance at the clay-court Major. He took out 14th seed Denis Shapovalov in the first round, winning 6-3, 6-1, 7-6(4). The Dane then defeated Henri Laaksonen 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 before downing home favorite Hugo Gaston in straight sets.
The 20-year-old caused a huge upset when he ousted fourth seed and 2021 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals in Paris. However, he lost the top-eight encounter to eventual finalist Casper Ruud.